Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-09-26
THE ROAD AGENTS.

of health, third n ranChman. and the
other two were prospectors and miners.
None of us had met each other previous to
the start. Those We're pcrilous times. and
the first half hour was spent in sizing each
other up. don't know To what conclu-
sion the others came. but looked over
the four men and said 10 myself
| THE lieutenant ought 10 fight in case
we are attacked, but he seems too nervous
to he gamey. The tourist is i'll and has
no sand, but the ranchman and Prospector
can be depended on
At that time the coach which was not
stopped twice out of five trips was con-
sidered very lucky In some few in
stances the robbers Were driven of, but
In most cases the passengers submitted 10
being held up" and We're glad to get Off
with nothing worse. / had with me over
S6.O00 in bank bills and gold. and / was
determined not 10 part with that money
without fight. The ranchman had
1000, and the miner about 5000 rs
afterwards learned, ard both had deter
mined to fight We had just for,lcd the
Merced river. and had come TO a lonely
stretch of road. when I he ranchman pulled
his revolver and examined the caps. II
was not vet restored to the holster when
we heard a shout, the report Of pistol
and the stage came TO y full stop. l
reached for M pistol, as did the miner
knowing that robbers were at hand. but
before mine was ont the lieutenant tiunS
his arms around me and cried out:
/ For Gods sake make no move or we
shall lie murdered, Let them take all we
haver'
At the same time the tourist flung him
self upon the miner, and neither of us had
a weapon out when u rObber showed him
self AT either door. The ranchman was
ready, however. and he killed the man on
his side. He would have also killed the
other. but his revolver failed on the second
| shot, and the robber pushed his revolver
in and fired with the muzZle pressed
against the poor &llow's heart. a third
robber then came up, and We were covered
from either door AMI called upon to sur
render. The jig WAS up, and we climbed
out. delivering our pistols butt foremost
as We left the stage. There were four Of
us and only two robbers. but when a man
has the drop on you and means business
| II 5 no Use 10 kick. We were placed in a
row, ami while one Of the fellows kept us
covered the other went through each man
IN turn. The lieutenant sheliei .out a
watch and $40, the tourist watch and
800. and they got from the other two of
us the sums / have previously named.
had my bank bills in my bootlcgs, but as
we We're forced To strip TO our shirts, they
found every last dollar. While We We're
dressing the body Of the ranchman was
pulled from the coach and stripped and
robbed.
f, have no doubt that the robbers meant
to shoot every one of us after securing the
Isl. to. Il Of
their comrade, but the unusually large
booty put them in good spirits, and they
underwent a change Of heart. The one
who searched us stepped over the dead
body Il dozen times without seeming to
care whether it was log or man. When
finally through with US lie bent over the
body and began robbing it, saying To his
companion:
''Bill won't have any more use for
money, and we might as well take his
| dollars along. Poor Bill! We shan't
never play poker together again"
| When they were ready TO 20 they cut
| the harness So that the stage would be
| detained couple of hours, broke up or
carried of every firearm, and drank to
| our health from flask the tourist had
with him. They made off for the foot
| hills 10 the east. having so little care for
us that neither Of them once looked back
| | WAS mad and no mistake and the miner
gave utterance to his feelings in curses
which almost cracked the stones around
us. We had been robbed OF our every
dollar, and, with the money, our every
prospect. The tourist could get more at
Stockton, and the lieutenant was out only
4 few dollars any way. l was not yet
dressed when he began 10 put on airs over
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lIey cOuld not nave been great ways
ahead Of Us when darkness fell. was
| then for resting until daylight, but the
miner urged that We should push on.
From the topography of tho country he
felt certain that ravine or rift would be
found not far away. We We're then b.
tween the foothills and the true mountain
| in narrow valley, and the full moon lad
come up. Without this light We could
not have made our way, as the ground
was much broken and bowlders lay
thickly scattered about.
We went ahead very cautiously up this
valley for about mile and Of T. sudden
a rift opened TO the left, and the glare Of
a camp fire greeted our eyes. Ii was not
over POO feet away, and after minute
We made out the forms Of the two men
as they seemed to be preparing supper.
We had found them, but what Of II,
They had all the arms and wa wera Ia